Chapter 17: The Last Encounter

"And… done."

I said as I blocked my step-mother's number in my phone's contacts.

"I guess that's the unexpected advantage of having a flip phone." Baldi sighed, still in disbelief that I had a phone this out of date. "You just press the block button and you can cut off your contact with someone. No worries about GPS, social media and stuff like that to help them track you down."

"I guess you can say that, though I don't think she'll bother finding me." I chuckled. "She's the one who kicked me out, after all."

"That's true…" It looked like he was still mad about what my step-mother had done to me, though he seemed to have decided not to talk about it. "Anyway, eat your breakfast or else it'll get cold, April. I made your favorite blueberry pancakes."

I almost forgot that I hadn't eaten anything yet because I was too caught up in the heartfelt moment of reunion, as well as the intense seconds of telling him everything that had happened in my life after we got separated. Looking over the nightstand to look at the tray, my mouth began to water at the stack of steaming hot pancakes, the syrup glistening and the blueberries fresh. I knew I shouldn't get sad right now, but this made me feel nostalgic all of a sudden. My mom had used to make pancakes for me almost every morning, and she added lots of fruits and whipped cream on certain special occasions. Even after she had passed away, my dad still tried to make some for me no matter how busy he was, because he knew how much I loved them. So when both of my parents had left me, I rarely had the chance to have a taste of it again. My step-mother always left for work very early, leaving me alone in the morning. And while I could make some myself, I preferred to just stick to cereal or toasts, as they were much faster to make. However, the main reason I didn't make them was that I had no desire to recall the good old memories.

I took the first bite, taking in the fluffiness of the pancakes, the sweetness of the blueberries and the sugary taste of the syrup. I was about to compliment his amazing cooking when he suddenly glanced at the clock on the wall and gasped.

"Oh my, is it almost time for school already?"

My body froze when I saw that it was almost eight in the morning.

"Ahh!" I yelped. "I'm gonna be late for school! I'm gonna-"

"Relax, relax." He laughed. "Today's Saturday."

I froze for a few seconds before my expression did a one eighty, changing from panicked to deadpan.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Sorry, sorry."

He chuckled, trying to stop laughing as he patted my head. Even though on my face was a pout, I secretly felt happy inside. This was the very first time I had seen him pulling pranks and making jokes like this. He had always been a serious person at school. He almost never laughed and he got irritated whenever someone tried to lighten up the mood with a joke. I could still remember how he had almost snapped just because Max told him a pun, a Math-related one too, on top of that. Needless to say, the whole class was traumatized after that. That was enough proof to show how much he hated jokes, but right now, it was like he was a completely different person, an opposite version of himself.

"Speaking of school…" He spoke up, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I still remember how I had mixed feelings when I first saw you again last year."

"Mixed feeling?"

"Yeah, I was shocked, happy and sad at the same time." He had on a nostalgic look on his face. "I was shocked because I didn't expect that the new student would be you. I was happy because I got to see you again after all those years being separated, but then, I was reminded of the fact that you didn't remember who I was. You looked so afraid of me."

He then looked up and turned to me, a sad look in his eyes. "I must have look like a ruthless teacher to you back then, right?"

I was silent, thinking for a while before giving him my answer.

"Well, to tell you the truth… everyone that day was warning me about how scary you were, so I did feel… frightened. But now, I'm not afraid anymore, because I know that you're a kind person at heart."

I gave him a reassuring smile, and for a second, he seemed stunned. It was as if my simple words moved him in a way, and he stared at me with the look of bewilderment. I couldn't help taking in the beauty of the moment too. The sun was shining in through the window, illuminating the room with its morning light and giving him a magnificent glow. The birds were chirping and the butterflies were dancing with the colorful flowers under the warm sunshine. My heart smiled along with him, feeling hopes blooming in me. It was time I started over. I would make sure that I properly fixed everything that had gone wrong in my life and renewed my determination. I was going to show the world that I was no longer the meek girl who was afraid of every little thing. I knew it would take a long time before my heart could heal and become stronger, but with him by my side, I would surely make it.


"Josh, go get a grave ready for me. I'm gonna die today and I know it."

"I feel like I should be the one to say that."

If I had still seen Baldi as an ungodly strict teacher, then that short conversation would have perfectly described how I felt. We just had an Math exam last week and everyone was freaking out about how hard it was. But unlike my past self, I had high hopes for this exam. As I was no longer pressured by my step-mother's expectation, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, especially when it came to studying. Whenever I walked up to my desk in my room, I didn't feel that stressed out anymore, and instead, I felt determination surging through me. Of course, it was still tiring, but I didn't feel like a duty anymore. I was no longer studying for my step-mother, I was studying for myself and my own future. Baldi let me pursue my dream, which was becoming an animal breeder, so I didn't have to follow the hell of the schedule my mother gave me. Instead, I got to have an easier schedule and only attended compulsory Math classes. Even so, once in a while, I did change things up and take a few extra Math periods just to meet him more often at school.

"I'm a little worried." Max said as he held his chin. "That last exam was pretty difficult, so I don't know if I did that well."

Oliver gave him a glare of disbelief. "There should be a law forbidding teacher's pets like you from making that statement."

I chuckled as we entered the classroom. A wave of nervousness rushed to me, but what I wasn't expecting were the deadly look everyone in the room was giving me. I froze in place, finding myself stumbling over my words.

"Um… G- Good morning?"

I laughed anxiously, feeling the need to run away from the others' stare right that instance. I didn't know what the heck was going on, but I could already feel the chills running down my spine and the sweats forming on my face.

"April, how could you betray us like this?!"

I turned over to Charlotte, the brown-haired girl who had already walked up to my side.

"W- What?"

I raised an eyebrow as well as my voice, my expression puzzled and confused. Charlotte said nothing and pulled me to my seat, pointing to the piece of paper lying on my desk. Upon seeing the thing that made them act like that, my eyes widened, my feet stumbling backward as I covered my mouth in shock.

My body shook as my hands picked the piece of paper up, my eyes staring at the big letter in red ink on it.

I got an A.

I could have screamed in ecstasy if it hadn't been for the fact that I was in class. I was overwhelmed with joy, because it had been ages since I last got an A. In fact, it had been so long that I abandoned my determination completely. Ever since the moment I gave up, I had just been trying to get an A just to survive the pressure from my step-mother, not because I genuinely wished to have the best grades in the world. Now that I had finally managed to get an A by myself, determination and hope started to rusn back to me. This was definitely the start of something good, and I was going to make sure that I got back on track with my studies.

However, after the short moment of happiness, I was pulled back to the present and was aware of the fact that my classmates were still staring at me intensely. In their eyes, I probably looked like an alien right now.

"Are you a genius in disguise or what?" Charlotte shook my shoulders. "How long have you been hiding your true power?!"

All that was leaving my mouth was a bunch of stuttering nonsense. I really didn't know what to say, especially with how rapidly I was being shaken.

"Everyone, get back to your seat." Baldi said after the loud sound of the bell. "And stop interrogating April like that. It's natural that she did well on the exam, because she's been studying very hard."

My heart suddenly thumped at that statement of his. To everyone else, that just sounded like a simple compliment from a teacher to a student. But no one would know that it meant more than that. Ever since I started preparing for the exam, he'd been watching over me and taking care of me. I could still remember how surprised I was upon finding out that every night, he had stayed up with me until I finally went to bed. No matter how busy he was, he always made sure that I wasn't draining myself of my energy. He was the one who had seen me studying restlessly until very late at night, and that was why he was praising me for it.

It didn't feel like a teacher complimenting a student, but a brother being proud of his little sister. My face was burning up because of it, at least that was what I thought.

"I didn't know you had it in you, April." Max turned his head back to me as we sat down at our desk. "It seems like I have a new opponent."

"No no, I still have a lot to learn." I waved my hand in the air as I chuckled. "I'm not nearly as good as you yet."

"Yeah, she's right." Baldi spoke up as he took out his book. "She needs more practice to be as annoying as you."

"H- Hey!"

Max said out loud and Baldi just casually opened his book like he hadn't just roasted his student. I couldn't help giggling at the sight, especially with how Max was pouting. He was always acting like a child, which was one of the reasons why I enjoyed his company. He was a genius, but he was still a little kid at heart.

After that, the lesson started and the day went on like usual. Well, that was what I thought until school ended.

Because I couldn't let others know that I was living with Baldi, I told Baldi that we should go home separately. So even when Baldi had a fancy car, I still had to walk home like always. He seemed to feel guilty that he couldn't drive me home, but it was for the sake of our secret, so I reassured him and said that it was okay. Today was the same as any other day. I parted way with Chloe at the corner of the streets and pretended to walk to my old house, but as soon as she was out of sight, I immediately went in a different direction and head to Baldi's house. However, before I could even turn on my heels, a familiar figure appeared right before me, and I flinched at the sight of that person.

Right before me was none other than my step-mother with a downcast expression on her face.

My heart started to beat rapidly as I slowly took a step back. Even though she didn't seem like she was going to hurt me, I still couldn't help feeling like I was in danger. After many weeks of not living in the eerie atmosphere around her, I found it even harder to face her without fearing for my life. The agitation hadn't changed one bit, the chills running down my spine as I eyed her every movement. Her calmness was exactly the reason why I was feeling so uneasy – I had expected her to sneer at me and coldly walked away, but she did nothing of that sort. On the contrary, she was just standing there silently, staring at me with sad eyes. She looked… guilt-ridden.

Disgust filled me at the thought of her feeling guilty. In fact, I was so disgusted that I had nearly laughed.

"April…"

Even her voice was soft, genuinely soft, not like the small yet scary tone she always had when talking to me. Unable to handle the tragic difference, I shivered.

"W- What do you want?" I frantically asked. "I've walked out of your life like you've asked. What more could you possibly ask for?"

"Please April, don't be scared." She spoke with that same gentle voice as she approached me. "I just want you to come back."

The panic I was feeling was immediately replaced with many different emotions at once – shock, confusion and bitterness.

"I don't know you're so good at making jokes like that, mother." I emphasized the last word in revulsion. I was actually impressed at myself for being able to even utter that word in the first place. "Don't play with my feelings like that. Please, I'm tired after a long day at school and just want to rest, I don't have time to stay here and entertain you."

"April, I'm being honest! I beg you, come back. " Her pleading voice became slightly louder. "I received your most recent grade last night. I saw that you got an A, so I… I regret it now. You're my most valuable treasure, April."

I completely forgot that she signed up for a program where my grades would be sent back to her as soon as it was updated, but that wasn't important right now. All I was feeling were resentment and hatred, instead of feeling sorry for her. And to hell with the thought of considering going back. Honestly, how shameless could this woman get? She just, with her own mouth, said that she wanted me back after kicking me out of the house herself. And not only that, she wanted me to come back because of a mere grade, which was the exact reason why she kicked me out from the very beginning! I couldn't wrap my head around that fact, nor could I feel calm about all this. I wasn't just angry – I was her apology just made my anger double, because it was absolutely disgraceful.

I ended up laughing.

"How ironic." I said in a tone filled with resentment. "You kicked me out because of a grade, and now you ask me to come back also because of a grade. Are those letters really that important to you?"

"April, listen to me!" She spoke after being stunned for a few seconds. "Remember that you're still my daughter!"

"Daughter?"

My voice turned dark, and I started to approach her with each slow step. She walked backwards, shocked at my sudden change of attitude.

"You never treat me as your daughter, ever." Memories of her threats rushed to me as I slowly tore her lies apart. "In your eyes, I'm just a trophy for you to show off. When that trophy turned old and dusty, you heartlessly threw it away like trash. But after someone found it and made it shine again, you suddenly come and claim that it's yours?"

She was speechless this time, and I took the chance to continue.

"And to be honest, you're never a mother to me either." I spat out the truth. "What mother physically and mentally hurt their kid just because they got bad grades? Sure, bad grades are never a good thing, but the violent things you did to me are still etched into my mind. It was straight up abuse. I can't believe that I managed to endure it up until now."

She looked shocked, probably because she thought a girl like me would never snap like this.

"I care for you, can't you see it?!" She spoke up finally. "I'm giving you another chance and a place to stay. Aren't you grateful?"

I let out a scornful chuckle.

"I'm sorry, but I don't need that house of yours anymore. I've found another place to live, and it's much better."

"W- Where is it?"

"I'm not that stupid to tell you." I emphasized the word she had used to describe me. "And the owner of that house is also way nicer than you. Just like you, we're not blood-related, but they're not bounded to me by law. They could've just left me on the streets to die that night, they're not obliged to save me, but they treat me better than you ever would."

She seemed angry upon seeing me talk back to her. Her façade broke once more, and she swung her hand up, ready to hit me like she always did. I closed my eyes, readying myself for the pain, but nothing came.

"Miss, do not bother her like that."

That voice…

Baldi…

I opened my eyes and found him standing before me, using his ruler to stop her hand and block the attack. Why was he here, I had no idea. But it hadn't been for him, I would have been knocked over and fallen to the ground by now.

"Who the hell are you?" She angrily asked. "Get lost. This is none of your business."

"I apologize for being rude, but this is my business." He pushed her hand aside with the ruler. "As her teacher, I'm responsible for keeping her safe from abusive parents like you."

"I'm her mother, I have the right to take her back to my house!" She shouted as she pointed at me. "This- This brat, I was going easy on her, but she just had to make things difficult."

"Miss, she's eighteen, so she's an adult now. You don't have the right to force your decision on her anymore." Baldi said calmly as he explained. "But even if she weren't an adult, you still can't use violence like that. It harms her development and mentality, and…"

He paused for a while before giving her a wrathful gaze.

"And I believe that's also the reason why she's been performing badly at school all these years."

Everything fell into silence the moment he finished that sentence.

"Nonsense!" My mother yelled at him in irritation. "Don't point fingers at me! She's the one at fault! She's been neglecting her studies, and she refuses to change, to my dismay."

"That's a huge lie." Baldi's voice was firm. "Lately, I can see that she's been making good progress, and she improves only after she's away from you. I don't think that this is just a coincidence."

Tears were forming at the corners of my eyes as he said that. Because of the accident ten years ago, I lost my memory and forgot the fact that I had used to be a straight A student. I didn't remember a single thing about it, so I had always thought that I was truly stupid like my step-mother said. Who would have thought that I had once been the model student everyone wished to become? When I first realized it a while ago, rage and sorrow had mixed together and made my head hurt.

Seemingly unable to argue back, my mother just idled there, trying to come up with something. But Baldi gave her no chance to do so.

"You're lucky enough that she's not reported you for abuse yet. If you continue to force her to come back with you, I'll do it myself."

Being pushed further by his words, she gritted her teeth helplessly and walked away with hurried steps. My eyes followed her as she dissappeared into the distance, away from us and my life forever. I hoped that this would be the very last time I saw her, because if she ever appeared in front of my eyes again, I didn't know if I could handle it. I was sure I would cry a lot, just like how my tears were staining Baldi's sweater right now.